Micro-slicing contour smoothing technique

The present invention is directed to methods for forming three-dimensional objects on a layer-by-layer basis and, more particularly, is directed to a method of identifying vertices of triangles used in the STL (stereolithography file format) data that is input from Computer Aided Design (CAD) data s...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors Manners, Chris R, Kulkarni, Rajeev B
Format Patent
LanguageEnglish
Published 13.01.2004
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Summary:The present invention is directed to methods for forming three-dimensional objects on a layer-by-layer basis and, more particularly, is directed to a method of identifying vertices of triangles used in the STL (stereolithography file format) data that is input from Computer Aided Design (CAD) data so that the contour data is accurate, smooth and with no lost features. An improved slicing technique is disclosed that employs micro-slicing or intermediate slices by identifying intermediate triangle vertices in the STL data and passing slice layers through each intermediate vertex to create a final build object or part that has smoother contouring, greater accuracy and an improved surface appearance than parts obtained using prior slicing methods.